Russian Open missing the stars
BY Bruce Young | European PGA Tour | 2008 Russian Open | Preview | 24 Jul 2008
It would be fair to say that the European Tour comes down a peg or two when it heads to Moscow for this week’s Inteco Russian Open at the Robert Trent Jones designed Le Meridien Moscow Country Club.
Sandwiched in between the Open Championship and the WGC Bridgestone Championship, the event contains very few stars. Compared to the prestige of last week’s Open Championship it offers little in comparison but, as is so often the case, tournaments such as these provide plenty of opportunity for the fringe players on the European Tour.
Although the field is hardly the cream of European golf, that will matter little to those looking to secure their immediate future on the European Tour this week. The defending champion Per Ulrik Johansson did exactly that last year but the Swede has not recorded a top ten since and another win might be an equal surprise.
Markus Brier is the inform player amongst the field having finished runner up in last week’s Challenge Tour event and secured consecutive top ten finishes at the European and French Opens. On that form alone he must be the favourite.
Robert Dinwiddie gives the impression that he is finding his feet on the European Tour and this might just be the sort of event to claim his first victory. He was 6th at the Scottish Open, 10th in Wales but importantly did quite well when making the cut at the US open and finishing 36th. That was a much better result than it appears on paper. Dinwiddie, a University of Tennessee graduate, won twice in succession on the Challenge Tour last year.
Another who attended College in Tennessee is Ross McGowan, who played well in bigger events than this earlier in the season and could do well.
John Daly is in the field and despite his crowd drawing powers he is unlikely to do well in his current form.
Australasians in the field include Gareth Paddison, Steve Alker, Terry Pilkidaris and Scott Barr.
